Zoo Story Part 3: IMPERFECT LOVE

Herman, king of the chimpanzees at Lowry Park Zoo, has not always lived among his own kind. When he was just a baby, Ed Schultz, an American working in Liberia at the time, found him on sale inside an orange crate and bought him for $25. Ed named the chimp Herman and took him home to his wife Elizabeth and their kids Roger and Sandy. They gave Herman milk from a bottle, taught him to wear a diaper and to eat his fruit at the dinner table. The family adored and pampered him, not having any idea all the ways their love would change him.

What are your thoughts on wild animals being kept as pets in people’s homes? What do you think Herman’s life would have been like if Ed Schultz had not purchased him? If a family you knew were considering bringing a wild animal into their home, what advice would you give them? Click on the COMMENTS blink below to share your views.

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The NIE Blogging Zone is a great place for teachers, parents and school administrators to share their thoughts about how they are using the Tampa Bay Times in their classrooms and to share thoughts about teaching, classroom management, the school system and education in general. If you have a burning topic to suggest or questions about the NBZ, e-mail jpushkin@tampabay.com